


Help Me

by DaFishi



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Heavy Angst, Hurt Zuko (Avatar), Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mentioned Ozai (Avatar), Ozai (Avatar) Being a Terrible Parent, Ozai (Avatar) is an Asshole, Protective Aang (Avatar), Protective Gaang (Avatar), Protective Katara (Avatar), Protective Sokka (Avatar), Protective Suki (Avatar), Protective Toph Beifong, Sad, Sad Ending, Zuko (Avatar) Needs Therapy, Zuko (Avatar) Needs a Hug, azula dies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-25
Updated: 2021-01-25
Packaged: 2021-03-17 08:46:54
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 749
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28971549
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DaFishi/pseuds/DaFishi
Summary: The very element that was supposed to be Zuko’s shield became the sword that pierced his skin.
Relationships: Aang & Zuko (Avatar), Aang/Katara (Avatar), Azula & Zuko (Avatar), Katara & Zuko (Avatar), Ozai & Zuko (Avatar), Sokka/Zuko (Avatar), Suki & Zuko (Avatar), The Gaang & Zuko (Avatar), Toph Beifong & Zuko
Comments: 11
Kudos: 98





	Help Me

**Author's Note:**

> Ok, ngl, this is probably the best fic I’ve ever written

_ “I’m sorry, Zuko. Azula didn’t make it. Ozai got bailed out of jail. Again.”  _

Zuko swears he’s never run faster in his life.

He hears Sokka yelling his name, he hears Katara cry of concern.

He knows Toph is screaming at him and Aang and Suki are chasing after him.

But he can’t stop.

He needs to run, to escape, to  _ get away _ .

Because Ozai won  _ again _ .

How does this keep happening?

Why do they tell kids fairy tales if it was never going to happen?

Where the hell was Azula’s happily ever after?

Because god fucking damn it, she needed one.

No.

She fucking  _ deserved _ one.

So he runs from his anger, his loss, his pain.

He runs from his happiness.

Because Azula should have had it, not him.

He would give up everything to keep Azula with him.

He would give up his love for Sokka, his friendship with the Gaang, everything just to see Azula smile once.

Just once.

That’s all he asks.

So he kept running because the pain was catching up.

His lungs burned and his eyes filled with tears.

He turns the corner of a street and goes through a path he knows too well.

And there he is, in front of the house he was burnt in.

He hears the footfalls of his friends behind him and he can’t face them, nor can he face Ozai.

Not yet.

So he runs again, despite the fire igniting inside of him.

He can’t bend, not right now.

Not in front of people.

Bending.

He and Azula were supposed to be special.

Some of the last firebenders left.

But Ozai didn’t like that they were different.

So he burnt them.

The very element that was supposed to be Zuko’s shield became the sword that pierced his skin.

He finds himself on Ember Beach after a little while.

The waves crash upon the shore, bringing forth foam from the sea.

Yue’s breath, they called it, in honor of the friend they lost to the sea.

And the lump in Zuko’s throat grows.

He collapses to his knees in front of the ocean, unable to go forth.

Because behind is the past he wants to forget, but ahead is a future he doesn’t want to be in.

And he lets his flames rise, making a red halo of pain around him.

The fire rises, feral and uncontrollable.

Orange, yellow, red, making his scar glow the ugly crimson it was when the fire hit his face.

_ You will learn respect, and suffering will be your teacher. _

The circle of fire rises exponentially and he sees Sokka stagger back.

It hurt, it was painful, but it was fire.

It wasn’t his, it wasn’t his sister’s, it was his father's.

But even then, his father had no control over the fire himself.

It was from a fucking stove his father turned on.

He had no fire, he had no power.

And wasn’t going to get any either.

Not from him, not from his workers, not from anyone.

But the anger consumes him like the flames surrounding him.

And then he sees the tips of his fire turn blue.

Like Azula.

And all of his anger comes crashing down in an agonizing moment of realization.

He’d never see Azula again.

He wouldn’t hear her fond snarky remarks, her laughter.

He’d never see her smile, her face twist up in confusion or irritation.

He’d never hear her say ‘I love you.’

And his flames stop as he finally gives in to the tears, curling in on himself as sobs wracked his body.

And he feels arms encase him.

Many pairs.

Zuko feels Aang’s hug in the front while Toph holds him from behind.

Suki's warmth is felt on his side and he tries to protest Katara wiping his tears because he doesn’t want her clothes to get stained.

But she shushes him and wipes away the tears of pain leaving tracks down his cheeks.

And Sokka speaks.

“I’m sorry.”

And those two words send him into another fit of tears.

Because it’s not enough, yet it’s more than enough.

It’s everything, yet it’s nothing but it’s ok.

Because he knows they won’t leave him.

They can, but he can’t even bear the thought.

Because without them, he wouldn’t make it.

He couldn’t make it.

But he didn’t need to worry about that.

They were here now and they’d help him.

Even if Azula’s gone, they’re here.

And they weren’t going to leave.

**Author's Note:**

> Comments and Kudos please!


End file.
